


The Clouds Are All On Fire

by Skaboom



Series: Skaboom's Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Omega Derek Hale, Post series finale, Prompt: Handcuffed/Manacled, Slightly lore divergent, attempted forced biting, tw: torture/violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:34:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25351729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaboom/pseuds/Skaboom
Summary: A violent and deranged Omega searching for a pack kidnaps Derek and Stiles. He attempts to force Derek to bite Stiles, thus creating a new beta, and activating Derek's latent Alpha powers. Stiles, not wanting the bite, and Derek, not wanting to give it, band together to try and outlast their captor while they wait for help. As they fight against time, feelings and secrets come to light that will change them forever...if they can survive.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: Skaboom's Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805800
Comments: 6
Kudos: 140





	The Clouds Are All On Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a friend of mine, for my Bad Things Happen Bingo card, and it's def not what I usually write, so I hope y'all like it! Title from Bloodshot by Jack's Mannequin.

"I can hardly believe this, Derek Hale, an Omega, like me?"

"Don't do this. You don't have to do this."

Derek tugged at the iron shackles that held his arms above his head. He was in a basement, wrists chained to the wall, and the collar around his neck had delivered a few shocks to him already. It wasn't comfortable, but he wasn't in the worst shape. 

Across the room from him, Stiles was on the ground, unconscious, leaning up against a wooden support beam. His arms had been pulled behind him and cuffed, and his head was lolling to the side. There were three long, bloody scratches down his front from where the Omega had slashed him. His shirt was torn and hanging off of him, he had a black eye and a split lip. The younger man had been in here, unconscious, since Derek had been brought in, and if he couldn't hear the faint beat of Stiles' heart, he would have been sure that Stiles was dead.

"Do what?" The Omega tilted his head to the side, smirking. "Is it a crime to want a pack? Is it a crime to want a Hale for an alpha?"

"I'm not an Alpha."

"You're a full shift Hale. You have Talia's blood coursing through you." The Omega, smirked. "And once you bite him," he jerked his head towards Stiles. "You'll be an Alpha again. The power is in you, it's dormant, I can feel it." The Omega closed his eyes, his hand on Derek's t-shirt, resting over his heart. "Oh, yeah, the power is in there. All you need is a Beta, and baby, we've got a pack going."

"We?" Derek snarled. 

"You bite him, you take me in-"

"You kidnapped me. You kidnapped Stiles. I would _ never _ make you pack."

"See," The Omega drummed his fingers over Derek's chest. "I feel like you're gonna change your mind. Maybe we all just need a little more time down here to bond? Or maybe he can help convince you." 

"I don't want to be an Alpha again," Derek hissed. "I was a terrible Alpha. I got my pack killed."

"You're Talia Hale's son," The Omega said. "It's in your blood. You  _ will  _ be an Alpha again. If it takes a little time, a little convincing, well..." He smirked. "I can be patient. I've waited this long."

Derek turned away. This wolf was clearly unhinged, and that was deeply unsettling. He had managed to successfully capture Derek, and Stiles, who Derek hadn't even  _ realized  _ was in Beacon Hills. There was something terrifying, calculated about all of this, and Derek was filled with a sense of unease. This Omega might be unbalanced, but he was prepared. He knew how to keep Derek in line with a mix of electricity and threats. 

And he had Stiles. 

Derek hadn't seen Stiles in almost two years, since they had chased Monroe out of town. Stiles had gone back to his FBI program, and Derek had been working with Scott, traveling for the Alpha. He wasn't officially in the McCall pack, but he was happy to work with Scott every time it came up.

Derek wasn't the right person for this. He wasn't the one who was going to be able to talk them out of this. He wasn't exactly a silver tongued prince, and rationalizing with people like this? He didn't know how to do it. He supposed he could beg, but the glint in The Omega's eyes told him that wasn't going to work. He had his mind made up, and Derek would have to figure something else out...or wait for Stiles to wake up, to talk them out of this.    
  
If anyone could do it, it was Stiles.

And if that failed? Well, they would have to hope that Scott and the rest of the pack were able to find them. Derek knew that Stiles didn't want the bite, but if he had to do it to save them both, he would. 

He just hoped that it wouldn't come to that. 

"It's baffling to me, really," The Omega said. "That no one's turned that boy yet."

"He's not a boy anymore," Derek snarled. 

And it was true. Stiles was 20 now, verging on 21, but he felt older. They had all been through so much, and in a lot of ways, Stiles had grown up the most. He had always been there, helping, despite his very notable humanity. He had clung to that, but he had never used it against the rest of them. He was an Emissary without being a Druid, he was their greatest collaborator, and they all knew it. If anything, Stiles knew himself better than the rest of them, and he had helped to shape them all. Sure, he may have been younger than Derek, but he was certainly not a child. 

He hadn't been for a long time. 

"Oh, come on, Hale, you know what I mean."

" _ Derek _ ," he snarled.

"You're a Hale," The Omega said. "That's all that matters to me."

"Nnngh." 

Derek's attention was pulled from The Omega as he heard a noise come from across the room, and Stiles stirred. 

"Stiles?" Derek said. 

"Derek?" Stiles slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times, looking around the room. "Oh fuck."

"Ah, welcome back." The Omega left Derek's side and crouched in front of Stiles, who was still very much coming to. 

"Who the fuck are you?" Stiles asked. 

"Ah, spirited, aren’t you?" The Omega grinned. "You're going to make a fantastic werewolf, Stiles."

"What?" Stiles slowly realized his surroundings, and tugged at the cuffs securing his arms behind the beam. "What do you want."

"A pack." The Omega grinned. "And  _ Hale _ here is going to give me one."

"He's not an Alpha," Stiles said. 

"He will be." The Omega grinned, wide, and horrifying. "Once he bites you."

"I'm not sure it works that way," Stiles retorted. 

"It will for him. He can full shift. He has Hale blood, the power is within him, he just needs to unleash it. He's an Omega by choice, aren't you, Hale?" 

"What is he talking about?" Stiles asked, confused, and possibly concussed.

"Oh, he doesn't know?" The Omega laughed a cold, unnerving laugh. "Mr. Hale, you've been keeping secrets."

"Derek?"

"I was a garbage Alpha," Derek said. "When I lost my powers, that was...possibly the best thing that could have happened."

"Yeah..." Stiles looked at him, trying to process everything, to make sense of it. 

"Let's move this along, shall we?" The Omega said. "I'm bored. Derek's Alpha Power, likely from his Hale lineage, is still there. All that he needs to do to trigger it, and become an Alpha again, is create a Beta." He turned his creepy grin on Stiles. "A  _ new  _ Beta."

"No thanks," Stiles spat. "I'm good."

"Oh, do you think you were a random choice, Stiles?" The Omega moved closer to him. He reached out, stroking Stiles' cheek before moving his hand up, gripping a fistful of Stiles' hair and drawing his gaze upwards. "No, you're here, because as far as I can tell, you're the only human that Hale, has a true soft spot for. If he won't bite you to turn you, I'm sure he'll bite you to save you."

"What?" Stiles felt his blood run cold at that, and the question? It was just a formality. He knew what it meant. 

Scott had said much of the same when they had thought he was following in his mother's medical footsteps. He knew what The Omega was implying, and he didn’t like it. 

"Well, if Hale here won't bite you willingly..." The Omega tugged at Stiles' hair, forcing him to wince. "I'll just have to make sure that he has no choice."

"Stiles, don't listen to him, look at me - ahhh!" Derek cried out as The Omega pressed the button on the control, and several jolts of electricity coursed through the collar, and into his body. 

"Derek!" Stiles cried out, tugging at his chains. 

"It's too easy," The Omega laughed. "Get two people who care about each other, and threaten them, and you can get them to do just about anything."

"Look," Stiles took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. His body ached, and his head was pounding. The scratches on his chest weren't life threatening, but they were deep enough to hurt, and the dried blood around them was uncomfortable, if nothing else. "Why don't you let us go, okay? If a pack is what you're looking for, we'll get you options, alright? No one should have to be without a pack."

"See, I knew you'd do this, Stiles," The Omega said, shaking his head. "I knew you'd try to talk me out of this, I knew you'd try to weasel your way out of this, but no." The Omega laughed. "That's not gonna work on me. Nope. No, no, no." He stood up, walking to a table. He grabbed a roll of tape and ripped a strip off of it. He walked over to Stiles and grinned, pressing it over his mouth. "You don't need to say anything, okay? This is all on Hale. He gets to decide how we do this."

"Mmmph!" Stiles glared at The Omega, tugging at his restraints, and kicking out at him. He refused to be some pathetic hostage. 

"Feisty," The Omega laughed. "That's cute, but you can't hurt me." He tossed the tape aside and stood, going back over to Derek. "There are two ways this goes, Hale," he said, reaching up and ruffling Derek's dark hair. "Either you agree to bite him as is, or I start breaking bones, tearing flesh...we'll see how long it takes sassy little Stiles here to start screaming," he laughed that cruel, cold laugh. "I wonder how long he'll last before he starts  _ begging _ you for the bite."

"You don't know Stiles," Derek seethed. "He's not like that. He's stronger than you think."

"Maybe." The Omega shrugged. "But he's still only human, and that human body? It can only take so much before it breaks, hmm?"

Derek tried not to show any reaction to that, but the idea of this guy flaying Stiles in front of him? It was mortifying. He had made mistakes that had gotten his pack hurt, and many of them killed, but he couldn't let that happen again. 

Not to _ Stiles _ . 

He tried to be stoic, but that stoicism was hard to maintain in this situation. He wanted to tell The Omega to fuck himself, but he was afraid of what the man would do to Stiles if he did so. 

"I won't bite him," Derek said firmly. 

"You will." The Omega smirked. "I'll tell you what, why don't I give you some time to think about it. Since it's apparently a big decision for you. I'll go get some things sorted, and you can decide if we're going to do this the easy way, or, well...the  _ torturous _ way." 

The Omega turned his gaze back to Stiles, grinning, and Stiles felt a horrible jolt of fear run through him. He hated this. There was something absolutely haunting about this guy, but he needed to stay strong. He and Derek were in this together, and he didn't want the bite any more than Derek wanted to be an Alpha. If they were going to get out of this, they were going to have to figure it out.

Together. 

And that was something that they hadn't done in a long time. 

"You go ahead and have fun figuring this out," The Omega said. "I'll be back in a bit to discuss your decision." He reached out, tousling Stiles' hair with one hand, and pressing the button on Derek's shock collar with the other, sending a jolt of fear through Stiles, and a jolt of electricity through Derek. 

Both men took it silently, steeled against the violent threats as they watched their captor exit the room. 

Derek listened as The Omega walked away from them, waiting until The Omega's footsteps and heartbeat were out of earshot, so that he knew his words would be, too. 

"Hey." He looked at Stiles, keeping his voice quiet, just in case. "It's going to be okay."

Stiles nodded, turning to the side as he worked his jaw. One measly piece of tape wasn't going to keep him quiet for long, and soon, he was free of the thing, though it still stuck to the side of his face. 

"So," Stiles looked up at Derek. "What are we going to do?"

"Well," Derek tugged tentatively at his chains. "I don't think these are going to be giving way any time soon, so...I mean, it's up to you, Stiles. I'll do whatever you want me to do."

"He thinks I'm weak," Stiles said. 

"Clearly, he doesn't know as much about us as he thinks he does," Derek replied. 

"We can use that to our advantage. I can take a lot, Derek."

"Stiles, what are you saying?"

"Let him hurt me. We don't have to beat him, we just have to wait him out. By now, Scott knows at least one of us is missing, I'm sure of it."

"Stiles, are you sure?" Derek asked. 

"Yes." Stiles tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but the cuffs and the wide beam his arms were pulled around made it tricky. "I don't want the bite, Derek, and I know you don't want to be an Alpha."

"I don't," Derek admitted. "But Stiles..."

"Our friends will come for us, Derek," Stiles said firmly. "We've gotten through worse."

"I know." Derek nodded, but his own heart rate picked up. The idea of having to watch Stiles be tortured in front of him, knowing that he could stop it with the bite? It was difficult to process. 

"Derek," Stiles looked up at him. "I can do this. He won't kill me, because he needs me alive for his plan to work. All we have to do is not give in until Scott gets here, okay?"

"And what if Scott doesn't come?" Derek asked. 

"He will," Stiles said confidently. "He always does."

"Stiles-"

"We're not doing this." Stiles shook his head. "We're not opening that door. This one guy? He doesn't get to win. He doesn't get to beat us, okay?"

"Okay." Derek nodded again, his own hope bolstered by Stiles’ sure tone. That being said, he could still hear the way Stiles' heart was hammering against his chest. Stiles could front brave, and he _ was  _ brave, but Derek could still smell the fear on him. "But if it gets to be too much, if you change your mind..."

"I'll let you know," Stiles said. "But it won't, Derek. We're gonna get through this, just like we have every other shitty thing we've been through, okay? You and I?" He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "We're survivors, okay? And I mean, come on, how smart can this guy really be? He thought he could shut me up with a piece of tape. Little does he know the only way to shut me up is to send me to my grave."

" _ Stiles! _ " Derek frowned. 

"Sorry." Stiles shifted again, the metal of the cuffs digging into his skin. "Gallows humor."

"Right." Derek paused. "I don't want you talking like that, okay?"

"Derek, I'm not gonna die here."

"I can tell that you're afraid."

"Doesn't mean that I think we're gonna lose."

"I can't decide if I think you're stupid or brave."

"The further I get in life, the more I realize that those two things are nowhere near as mutually exclusive as you seem to think they are."

"Fair enough." Derek nodded. He paused, then spoke again. "Stiles, are you okay?"

"I mean." Stiles shrugged. "I'm tired of being a damsel in distress. I'm sick of being constantly underestimated and used against you guys because I'm human."

"I get that." Derek tugged on his chains for emphasis. "I have spent a lot more of my life chained to walls than I'm proud of."

Stiles scoffed at that. "Well aren't we a pair. Sitting around, waiting for Scott and the rest to rescue us." He shifted. "So, Der, how have you been?"

"Really?" Derek asked, one eyebrow raised. 

"Well what else are we supposed to do? In case you haven't noticed, we can't exactly go anywhere, and it's been a couple of years."

"I've mostly been, you know." He shrugged. "Helping to maintain the preserve, I help Scott out. He's in contact with a lot of other packs, but because of his class schedules, he can't always take the meetings, so I act as his proxy a lot. He's a True Alpha, and me being a Hale gives me a lot of credit, I guess."

"Yeah, he told me about that. Sounds like you two are a great team."

"Well, we're no Scott and Stiles," Derek said. 

"Psht, no one is." 

"Some things just never change about you, huh? Hiding behind humor?"

"Who says I'm hiding?"

"Stiles, come on." Derek rolled his eyes.

"Look," he said. "Do I want to be here? No. Am I here? Yes. Do I wish I weren't being used against you? Of course, but I am. I'm already doing everything that I can about that, so unless you have suddenly developed the ability to break through iron shackles..."

"I'm sorry," Derek shook his head. 

"God, are you actually blaming yourself for this?" Stiles asked. 

"Yes!" Derek nodded. "You wouldn't be here if I weren't such a disaster."

"Classic Derek Hale, with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas. I guess some things really never do change." Stiles shook his head. "This isn't your fault."

"I don't want to watch him hurt you," Derek said softly. 

"Well that's good, I would be...very worried if you did."

"Stiles."

"No, I mean, I know I'm not like, your best buddy in the whole world, but I definitely think we're past the part of our relationship where we wish each other ill."

" _ Stiles _ ." 

"What?"

"I don't want to watch him hurt  _ you _ ."

"Oh." Stiles bit his lip. He could pretend that he didn't understand the inflection in Derek's tone. He could pretend that he didn't hear the care in it, he could pretend that his mind was elsewhere, but what was the point. "Why...why are you telling me this now?"

"Because if I have to bite you," Derek said. "I know you'll hate me, or resent me, or...whatever, and I just..." He looked to the side, away from Stiles. "I just wanted to make sure you knew."

"I know." Stiles nodded. "I've, uh...known."

"What?" Derek's head snapped back, looking at Stiles. 

"Yeah." Stiles nodded. "Liam, actually. He smelled it on you. When we were all hanging out, after Monroe, before I went back to DC. He's not very good at keeping his mouth shut."

"Oh." Derek looked surprised. "So you've...known."

"Yeah, and I mean, I just...I've been in DC, and with the FBI..."

"It's okay, Stiles, you don't have to-"

"I do." Stiles looked at him, his light brown eyes fixed on Derek's hazel ones. 

"You do?"

"Yeah." Stiles nodded. "But I didn't...I know your track record with stuff like this, I didn't want to open that door until I could, you know, actually  _ be _ there."

"Until?"

"Or, you know, 'if', I guess."

"You know, for a skinny, defenseless human, you spend a lot of time protecting me."

"Well, yeah." Stiles shrugged. "It's what you do when you love someone."

"Yeah." Derek smiled, but it was sad. "I guess it is."

"So we'll protect each other from this, Derek. You protect me from the bite, I'll protect you from being an Alpha again."

"He's going to tear you apart."

"I know." Stiles gulped. "But you'll be there. When it's over, you'll be there."

"I will." Derek nodded. 

"Then it will be okay."

"Yeah." Derek took a deep breath. He didn't want to ruffle Stiles' feathers anymore than he already had, and if Stiles needed to believe that it would be okay, Derek would do his best to let him believe that. 

He knew, though, that Stiles wouldn't be able to stay silent while The Omega hurt him, and Derek knew that Stiles' cries of pain would be torture, but Stiles was being clear about what he wanted Derek to do here, and Derek would do it. After all, as Stiles had pointed out, they had both lived through worse. 

"Hey, look at me," Stiles said. 

Derek looked over at Stiles. 

"We make it out of this, okay?" Stiles said. "I know we do. And when we do, I'm gonna be in rough shape, and I'm going to need you, okay?"

"I'll be there." Derek nodded. "I promise."

Derek was about to say more, but he heard footsteps, and he straightened. 

"He's coming, isn't he." Stiles gulped. 

Derek simply nodded. 

"Just tune it out, Der."

Derek nodded again. 

"Well, well, well," The Omega grinned. "I see you've had the chance to talk..." he ripped the tape from where it hung off of Stiles' mouth. "TV clearly oversells duct tape as a silencing mechanism, hmm?"

"Yeah, I'm not really one for staying quiet," Stiles shrugged. "I guess today's just not your day."

"Oh, it will be." The Omega chuckled. "Did you two come to a decision."

"Yes," Stiles said before Derek had the chance. "He won't be biting me."

"You say that, but it's just not true." The Omega shook his head. "But if you've chosen the hard way..." he turned his attention to Derek. "Shall I torture the boy?"

"He's  _ not _ a boy," Derek snarled again. 

"Whatever you say." The Omega shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be screaming like one soon enough, won't you, Stiles?" He leaned down, kissing Stiles' forehead, causing the human to cringe. "Maybe if we start off small, your friend here will realize he's making a mistake, and change his mind."

"He won't," Stiles seethed. "You're not getting what you want from us."

"Let's see how long it takes to change your minds about that." The Omega raised his hand, smirking as his claws slowly grew out. He pressed them against Stiles' skin, just where his throat met his jaw. "Stand up," he ordered, pulling upwards. 

The sharp claws dug into Stiles' flesh, piercing it, but only slightly, as he was forced to rise. It hurt, but not enough to garner a scream, though Stiles knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg. 

"Let's see if a broken bone can change your minds, hmm?" The Omega let go of Stiles' neck and moved behind the beam. He grabbed Stiles' right arm, and with a shocking effortlessness, and zero hesitation, snapped Stiles' wrist. 

Stiles breathed in tight, panting slightly as pain coursed through his body. It hurt. It hurt like hell, but he didn't want to give the guy the satisfaction of his screams until he absolutely had to. 

"What?" Stiles asked, trying to breathe through the pain, for Derek's sake as much as his own. "You think I've never had a broken bone before? Dude." He rolled his eyes. "Come on."

"Oh, I'm just getting started, Stiles," The Omega teased. "One broken bone, fine, let's see how it is when a couple of ribs get added to the mix, hmm?"

Stiles took a deep breath, steeling himself for the break. He closed his eyes, trying to regulate his heart rate. He didn't want this freak to know how scared he was, but even more than that, he didn't want Derek to know. 

With just as little hesitation, The Omega slammed his elbow hard into Stiles' torso, the strength from his abilities easily cracking two of Stiles' ribs as, unable to stop himself, Stiles cried out in agony.

With the broken ribs, his breathing labored, and it was a little more difficult to take full, deep breaths,

"Hurts, doesn't it?" The Omega said, caressing Stiles' cheek as he looked into the human's eyes. "Of course, it doesn't have to...think of how quickly you could heal if you just accepted the bite,"

"Go fuck yourself," Stiles snarled. 

"I guess that's not quite enough for you, is it?" He asked with a smirk. "Unless..." he turned to Derek, one eyebrow raised. 

Derek's chest was tight. Stiles' cry had been horrific, and he knew that more was coming, but he couldn't betray Stiles' wishes just to stop the hurting. Rather than speak, Derek just snarled at their captor. 

"Fine, fine," he said with a shrug. "Doesn't bother me any if we have to do this a little longer. Maybe a little blood will make him cringe, hmm?

Stiles said nothing, he just stood tall, tried to focus on surviving, on not giving in. 

"Stiles," Derek said. "Stiles, look at me."

Stiles did as Derek said, looking up at him. The pain was evident on his face as The Omega ripped Stiles' already torn shirt down the middle. The pieces of it hung off of his shoulders, exposing his bare torso. 

Stiles wasn't the skinny kid that he had once been. No, he wasn't all jacked up or anything, but his muscular definition had grown, and he had definitely filled out. Derek was unable to enjoy the view, however. There were three long scratches diagonally down Stiles torso, starting just above his right pec, and ending just above his left hip. They were shallow, however, and Derek got the feeling that was nothing compared to what this man had planned.

"You can put a stop to this, Hale," The Omega said. He turned, his claws digging into Stiles' left side, opposite of the broken ribs on his right. He kept his claws in the man, but faced Derek. "Just bite him, Hale, and it's all over."

"He's not that stupid," Stiles hissed. 

"Do you do all of his talking for him?" The Omega asked. "Maybe I should shut you up, let Hale do his own speaking?"

"Wouldn't make a difference," Stiles said with a shrug, feigning indifference. 

"True." The Omega laughed. "Either way, however long this takes, this ends with you getting bitten, and me getting a pack."

"In your dreams," Stiles hissed. 

"Bravado gets you nowhere here, Stiles, but if you insist on being insolent..." He stopped talking and dug his claws down Stiles' side. He went slowly, this time digging much deeper.

Stiles did his best to bite back his screams as he felt hot blood run down his skin, but it hurt so fucking bad. 

"Derek, I don't think he's enjoying this," The Omega said. "You can stop his pain, or do I need to make it worse? He'll be able to heal from a lot once you bite him..."

Stiles squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on his breathing, trying to take himself out of this moment, but it was impossible. The pain was too grounding.

"Stiles," Derek said. "Stiles, come on, look at me. Don't listen to him. Look at me."

Stiles opened his eyes, looking up at Derek. 

"You can do this," Derek said. 

Stiles nodded, taking the deepest breath that he could. 

"Aw, that's cute," The Omega grinned. "Trying to support each other...you really do care for each other, don't you? Too bad that's just going to make this all worse."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the remote control. This time, when he pressed the button, he held it down, and rather than one shock being delivered to Derek, a steady stream of electricity ran through him.

Derek's back arched against the wall that he was bound to, and he let out a roar of anguish. 

"Hey!" Stiles snapped. "Hey, assface! Torturing him doesn't get you what you want, alright? Focus on the task at hand, hmm?"

"Stiles," Derek managed to get out through the electricity. "Shut. Up."

"No, no, he has a point."

The Omega released the button, and Derek's body fell slack against the wall, the chains on his wrists the only thing holding him up as he worked to catch his breath and right himself. He could heal from this. Stiles? Not so much. 

"You know," The Omega said, trailing his fingers down the fresh gashes in Stiles' side. "I would say that these would scar, but once you get the bite-"

"I'm. Not. Taking. The. Bite." Stiles hissed the words through clenched teeth, glaring at his captor. 

"You sure about that?" He dug the heel of his hand into Stiles' right side, just where his broken ribs were. 

"Aarrgh, fuck!" Stiles cried out. "God, you're such an asshole.” He tried to focus on anything but the pain. "You really think that if you torture me, torture  _ Derek  _ into biting me, that we would  _ ever  _ let you into our pack?"

"Oh he will," The Omega laughed. "Trust me. An Alpha needs a pack."

"Not one like you." Stiles summoned as much fire as he could, and spat in The Omega's face. 

He was met with an instant reaction, claws slashing at his face, down his right cheek. It was a visceral reaction from The Omega, and they weren't deep, but that didn't mean they didn't sting. 

"Well, as much fun as this has been," The Omega said. "I guess we're going to have to kick it up a notch - I really hoped you would both have more sense. Or maybe I overestimated your compassion, Hale." He walked over to Derek, and grabbed his hair, forcing him to look at Stiles. 

The younger man was leaning all of his weight against the beam he was bound to, his breathing ragged from his cracked ribs, blood trickling down his side, and dripping from his face. 

"I mean, it's really amazing, how you can look at him, see him in so much pain, and not do anything to help him."

"He doesn't want the bite," Derek seethed. "I won't make him."

"Noble." The Omega nodded. "We'll see how much longer that lasts." 

He walked over to the corner of the room and grabbed a pipe. He shot Derek a wink as he walked back over to Stiles, and without much warning at all, he smashed it into Stiles' left leg, breaking on impact at least one of the bones in his lower leg. 

Stiles screamed out, falling instantly to the ground as The Omega laughed. 

"See, Hale? I just don't think he's handling this very well."

"Are you kidding?" Stiles looked up at him. "Let's break half your bones, see how you do."

Derek couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his chest. Stiles was beaten, bound, broken, and bleeding but he was still fighting. Derek didn't know many  _ wolves _ who could withstand torture like this, and yet Stiles, human, mortal, breakable Stiles was taking it all like a champ. 

"Fine then." The Omega slammed the end of the pip into Stiles' broken ribs. 

The cry of agony that escaped Stiles' mouth was like nothing Derek had ever heard before, and pulled at his chains. 

"Stiles!" Derek shouted. 

"It's...it's fine, Der," Stiles said, looking up at him. His breathing was shallow, though, and his words were quiet. It was clear that he was hurting. Bad. 

"Stiles, are you sure?" Derek asked, his heart breaking as he looked at the other man. 

Tears were welling in Stiles' eyes, and he looked horrible. The pain was visible on his face, and the fear evident in his scent. Derek hated this, ten times more than if it were happening to him. 

"Yes." Stiles nodded as best he could. "Don't give in, Der, it's what he wants, okay? Don't do it."

"Oh, Hale, I really don't think you should listen to him...he doesn't look so good. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say something might be punctured...a lung, maybe?"

"I'm gonna rip your throat out," Derek hissed, pulling at his chains. 

"Go ahead and think what you want, Hale," The Omega said. He lifted the pipe again, bringing it down on Stiles' left arm.

Stiles cried out as yet another bone cracked. The pain was unimaginable, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on, but he had to try. He had to be stronger than this.

"No!" Derek cried out. 

"Oh, Hale..." The Omega looked up at Derek. "I think he's dying. You can smell that, can't you?"

"Shut up!" Derek shouted. "I am going to kill you. I am going to-"

"Der," Stiles said softly, looking up at him. 

"Hey," Derek turned his attention to Stiles. "I...I'll do it. If you want me to, Stiles, I can fix this."

"No." Stiles shook his head. "Not yet. I'm not done yet."

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes." He nodded.

"Okay. Just...keep breathing, okay? Keep breathing."

Stiles nodded. Talking was hard, but he didn't want Derek to give up. They could do this, they could get through this. Scott and the pack couldn't be far away. The Omega was right, he was pretty sure that he was dying, and if he was dying? Lydia would know it. She would be able to find him. 

"Yeah, Stiles," The Omega laughed. "Keep breathing." He placed the end of the pipe under Stiles' chin and used it to force him to look up. "We don't want you to die, or...Hale doesn't. I...you're really just a means to an end for me. A very annoying means to an end at that." He grinned, and pulled back, smacking the pipe against Stiles' face. 

Stiles felt his nose break instantly as blood gushed from it, and the pounding in his head from what he was already pretty sure was a concussion intensified. 

"What?" The Omega said. "No witty remark? God, you really must be hurting. I knew it." He laughed. "Not as tough as you think you are."

"Hey." An angry, booming voice filled the room. "Don't you  _ dare _ talk about my best friend like that."

"Oh my god." Stiles let out a deep breath, and slumped against the beam. 

"Oh, the True Alpha..." The Omega spoke confidently, but he was visibly thrown by Scott's arrival. Still, he raised the pipe. "One more step closer, and I hit him in the head. Hard. I don't think he can take another-"

The Omega was interrupted by a piercing shriek, and from the doorway, Lydia pushed soundwaves directly at him, throwing him backwards, the pipe clattering to the ground and rolling away from him. 

Scott launched himself at The Omega, punching him over and over again, while Lydia ran to Stiles. 

"Hey, Stiles, come on," she said, putting her hand on his cheek. "Stiles, come on, stay with me."

"Hurts," he mumbled. Now that his friends were here, now that they were being rescued, he felt his resolve crumbling. 

"I know, Stiles, I know." Lydia walked around, working to pick the locks on his handcuffs to at least provide him some relief. "But I've got you, you're safe now, okay?" She pulled her friend into her arms, holding him tight. 

Derek said nothing. He didn't want to draw Lydia's attention away from Stiles, nor Scott's away from The Omega. 

"Derek," Stiles muttered. 

"He'll be fine," Lydia assured him. "Just keep your eyes open, okay? Keep your eyes open. Focus on me. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah." Stiles nodded, doing his best. He wasn't going to let this fucker win, and he didn't want to worry his friends. 

"You're gonna be okay," Lydia said. And god, she was so calming. Their relationship may not have lasted - they had both decided they were better off as friends, but he still loved her dearly, and he felt safe in her arms. 

"I know." Stiles nodded. "Fuck, Lydia, it hurts."

"Shh," she gently stroked his cheek. "Don't talk, okay? Just breathe, focus on breathing. We're gonna get you out of here."

Stiles nodded, doing what Lydia said, but it was hard. He was in so much pain, but he could relax now. He didn't have to be strong. He did the best he could, but it wasn't long before he passed out in Lydia's arms. 

"If you come back here  _ ever _ again, if you come near my pack," Scott snarled, throwing The Omega out the door. "You will not be granted mercy. If I hear about you trying this anywhere else, we will come for you. Am I clear?"

"Yes!" The Omega nodded, fear in his eyes. Gone was the snickering bravado that he had had earlier. 

"Get. Out!" Scott shouted. 

Without being told again, The Omega turned tail and rain. Scott rushed to Derek's side, and unlocked the chains, unbuckling the collar from his neck. 

"Stiles!" Derek rushed to Stiles' side, and gently took him from Lydia, lifting him up and into his arms. "We have to get him to a hospital."

"I'll drive," Lydia said. 

In no time, the three of them were in her car, headed towards the hospital. Derek sat in the backseat, holding Stiles tight, refusing to let go of him. He focused on Stiles' shallow breathing, on his heartbeat, willing himself to believe that Stiles would be alright. He was strong. He was hurt, but he was strong, and he would be alright. 

He had to be.

***   
When Stiles woke up, his body was screaming in pain. The first thing that he registered aside from that was the steady beeping of the machines he was hooked up to. He blinked his eyes opened and looked around. He was in a hospital bed, his body bandaged, an IV in his arm. 

"Oh thank god." The Sheriff was at his bedside, and breathed a sigh of relief when Stiles opened his eyes. 

"Hey, dad," Stiles rasped. 

"Son, you gave us quite the scare..."

"I'm not that easy to kill," Stiles said. 

"No, you've proven that over and over again, but still. I don't like it when you worry me like that."

"I'll try not to do it again," Stiles said softly. He paused. "Am I gonna be okay?"

"Yes." Noah nodded. "It was a little touch and go there for a while, you have two broken ribs, your nose, right wrist, left arm, and left fibula are broken, and your left tibia is fractured. The ribs punctured a lung. You had to have emergency surgery, but you're gonna pull through." He reached up, wiping a tear from his eye. "You're a fighter."

"Hey," Stiles smiled weakly up at his dad. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you alone."

"You're a good kid," Noah said.

"Is Derek-"

"He's been here the whole time."

"How long?"

"Three days."

"Holy shit." Stiles gulped

"Yeah, like I said, you gave us quite the scare."

"I'm fine," Stiles said. 

"Like hell you are," Noah argued. "But...you will be."

"Same thing." Stiles shrugged. 

"You hungry?" Noah asked. 

"Starving, actually," Stiles said, realizing how hungry he was only once his father mentioned. 

"Alright, I'll send Derek in and go get some real food, none of this hospital crap."

"Thanks."

"Of course. I love you, son." Noah smiled, and got up, leaving the room. 

Moments later, Derek entered. 

"Stiles-"

"No." Stiles shook his head. "Just shut up and hold me."

Derek bit his lip, and nodded. He kicked his shoes off and carefully climbed up on the hospital bed, being sure not to jostle Stiles at all as he fit himself around the other man. 

"Everything hurts," Stiles admitted as he leaned against Derek. 

"I can do something about that." Derek reached for Stiles' hand. He held it between both of his own hands, pulling every ounce of pain that he could from Stiles. 

It was a lot, and honestly, Derek was impressed with what Stiles could withstand. It hurt to take so much, but the sigh of relief that Stiles exhaled as he pulled the toxic feeling from the other man was worth it. 

"Better?" Derek asked. 

"So much," Stiles admitted. 

"You are really brave," Derek said softly. "But you are also really, really, really stupid."

"Hey, like I said, those two things? Not at all mutually exclusive."

"You don't have to fake it anymore, Stiles," Derek said softly. "I know-"

"I know." Stiles gulped. "I just can't think about it right now, okay? This is...not how I would have chosen for this to happen, but you're here, and you're finally holding me, and I don't want to taint that moment, okay?"

Derek paused for a minute, looking down at Stiles. 

"Okay." Derek smiled gently, and leaned down, pressing a very soft, very light kiss to the corner of Stiles' mouth. "I love you, you brave idiot."

"Yeah," Stiles smiled, and this time, it was genuine, reaching all the way to his eyes. "Love you too, Sourwolf."

"I hate it when you call me that."

"No you don't." Stiles smiled. 

"Fine." Derek returned the smile, gently drawing Stiles closer. "Maybe I don't."

"I guess...there's really no walking back on what we said, is there," Stiles said softly after a few minutes. "I mean, we got through... _ that _ , but I'm still in DC, and-"

"You're an idiot."

"Okay, yes, we've been over that part," Stiles sighed. 

"I'm coming back to DC with you, Stiles."

"You are?" Stiles looked surprised. 

"Yeah." Derek nodded. "If I'd known that the distance was the only thing keeping us apart, I would have closed it months ago."

"Oh." Stiles bit his lip. "God, I really am an idiot."

"Maybe a little." Derek smiled. "But you're  _ my _ idiot."

"Oh, I sort of hate that."

"As much as I hate Sourwolf?" Derek challenged. 

"Eh," Stiles shrugged as best he could. "About the same."

"That's what I thought." Derek leaned in, dropping a light kiss to Stiles' forehead. "Get some rest, okay? I know you just woke up, but...not the same."

"And you'll be here?" Stiles asked. 

"I'm not leaving you, Stiles," Derek said. "Ever again."

"Okay." Stiles nodded, curling into Derek's side. "I love you."

"I love you too." 

Derek situated himself protectively around Stiles, focusing on Stiles' breathing as the young man fell back asleep. 

Once he was sure that Stiles was alright, that he was asleep, he was able to close his own eyes and finally sleep himself for the first time in three days. 

Stiles stirred in Derek's arms, but didn't wake. He moved closer, snuggling in against the other man, and unconsciously, Derek drew him in. It had taken years, and they had had to wade through so much crap to get here, but now that they had finally admitted their feelings, the bond was going to be unbreakable.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I messed with the lore a little, concerning Derek's Omega status and ability to become an Alpha merely by biting someone and trigging what's inside of him, but hey, that's what fanfiction is for, right? I hope you enjoyed this!


End file.
